Java Programming: Solving Problems with Software

This course, offered by Coursera, was developed by Duke University. It is comparable to the introductory Java course taught to Duke students, and it can be applied to multiple specialization certificate programs. It takes a little over 13 hours to complete and is designed as a 4-week curriculum.

( 153 Reviews )

Created by: Owen Astrachan

Produced in 2015

What you will learn

Editing, compiling and running Java programs
Conditionals and loops
Java API documentation
Debugging and the scientific method
Practical application of solving problems with Java programs
Utilizing test cases
Class creation and use
Techniques to use multiple methods in a single program

Quality Score

Content Quality

Video Quality

Qualified Instructor

Course Pace

Course Depth & Coverage

Overall Score : 96 / 100

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Course Description

Learn to code in Java and improve your programming and problem-solving skills. You will learn to design algorithms as well as develop and debug programs. Using custom open-source classes, you will write programs that access and transform images, websites, and other types of data. At the end of the course you will build a program that determines the popularity of different baby names in the US over time by analyzing comma separated value (CSV) files. After completing this course you will be able to:1. Edit, compile, and run a Java program;2. Use conditionals and loops in a Java program;3. Use Java API documentation in writing programs. 4. Debug a Java program using the scientific method;5. Write a Java method to solve a specific problem;6. Develop a set of test cases as part of developing a program;7. Create a class with multiple methods that work together to solve a problem; and8. Use divide-and-conquer design techniques for a program that uses multiple methods.

Beginner Level

Time: 25h

Pros

Cons

- Course challenges students to ensure that lessons lead to a deep understanding of concepts and applications.
- Forums and online peer resources empower students to overcome challenges and learn more in the process.
- When used towards specialization, course helps acquire valuable professional certifications.
- This may be an introductory course, but it is not designed for beginners. A coding or computer science background is expected for students to succeed.
- Assignments are challenging to a degree disproportionate with the difficulty of the lessons.
- Time to complete challenges may dramatically eclipse time required to get through lectures.

Instructor Details

Owen Astrachan

4.8 Rating
153 Reviews

Owen Astrachan is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Computer Science at Duke University. He has taught computer science at Duke for more than 25 years and taught high school for seven years before starting at Duke. In recent years, Professor Astrachan has worked with colleagues to redesign Duke's introductory computer science course to reach a broader range of students at Duke from a variety of backgrounds and fields. He also leads the Computer Science Principles project, which is completely grounded in a philosophy of engendering interest in new and previously untargeted/uninterested students, broadening participation in computing. Professor Astrachan received an NSF Career award, the NSF CISE Distinguished Education Fellow award, received two teaching awards at Duke and a teaching award when teaching on a sabbatical leave at the University of British Columbia. Professor Astrachan holds a PhD in Computer Science and a Master of Arts in Teaching (Mathematics), both from Duke University.

Reviews

4.8

153 total reviews

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By David N on 8-Aug-16

You need a little more experience in coding that just the first course, or try not to leave everything by the end of the week(as I did) to find what you need for the assignments. Great course !

By Rathna S on 16-May-17

I have just started the course, but it is way over my head. This should clearly be marked as intermediate, advanced or marked as for people already in IT industry.

By Lucas N on 22-Mar-19

To say this course is for beginners is a misnomer. I think if one has some familiarity with another programming language then yes - this could be a beginner course. I came into this course with zero formal programming knowledge and was completely overwhelmed by the pace and material. This course does not give the students any/enough "small wins" to build muscle memory and gain confidence. I was drawn in by assumed time for completion. 4-8 hours/week sounded pretty good for the schedule of a working adult, however the 10-minute "assignments" consistently took me 6+ hours (most of the time spent calling/screen-sharing with my developer friend for help). Again, I think if one already has some programming knowledge (and therefore not *really* a 'beginner') then yes, this would probably take them that amount of time. I folded almost at the end of week 2. To echo another review here, it seems the instructors forgot what it is like to be a beginner. The instructors assume too much about what their students know. Really kicking myself for spending the money trying to limp through this course.If you are like me and starting without any experience, there are plenty of alternative free material actually geared towards 'beginners' that will give you the context and practice needed to actually comprehend the course material.

By Umar K on 19-Apr-19

The assignment questions were very repetitive. A lot of times the assignment questions weren't clear. As opposed to spending a lot of time learning and debugging my code, it felt like I was doing rote work. The worst part about the course experience was the BlueJay IDE. It requires you to manually compile your code, then create a new instance of your class, then run the test method, after EVERY change.

By shelp on 11-Feb-19

Really poor course structure and material explanations. Canceling subscription.

By Theresa S on 18-Feb-18

There are other OOP courses out there that are easier to follow & execute on assignments. The java editor used in this class is clunky and ridiculous and the assignment instructions seem out of date and disorganized - this class was infuriating. It takes simple assignments and obfuscates instructions.

By German on 12-May-19